Hi everyone! This is the last in my Feature Friday series of guestposts and whilst on one hand I feel quite sad that I won't have anymore to share with you, on the other, I really couldn't ask for a better post with which to bring this series to close. 

Tonight's post is courtesy of Avon, who blogs at Spider's Filthy Assistant. Out of all the guestposts, it's the one that's resonated with me the most; probably because if, when the idea for this series first came to me, you had asked me about the women that personally inspire me, I would have named Sarah Michelle Gellar and Milla Jovovich. However, as the series has progressed, what I've realised, and feel very strongly about, is that inspirational women are all around us. And that includes me and you. 

You probably have no idea of the impact you have on the lives of those around you but you do, so don't be afraid to embrace who you are. Be true to yourself and live your life with integrity.

Now over to Avon ...

When I first offered/asked to write this guest post I thought it would be so easy to think of some strong, fabulous, notable women who like totally inspire me, but that wasn't actually the case.

If you'd asked me about ten years ago I'd probably have said Frida Kahlo and Vivienne Westwood. Kahlo spent her life in considerable physical and emotional pain (thanks to a serious bus accident and a seriously messy love life) but produced such beautiful, powerful work and was so sure in her self. So confident. One of my mum's friends gave me her biography when I was about 16 and I devoured it. Vivienne Westwood was just so damn cool, you know. So creative and, again, so self-assured.

But I'm aware now that I wanted to be these women, not be like them. It was aspirational not inspirational. And it generally still is when I admire or envy someone in the public eye.

One of my favourite Grand Designs episodes is the one where the young interior designer builds a gorgeous Scandi style house in Cornwall. But it actually makes me feel worse about my life because what have I done? She's got a boyfriend who loves her and she's super talented and successful and then she builds this house that I would love to live in and does it under budget. No one is ever under budget on Grand Designs! In comparison, what have I done? Nothing much.

The women who truly inspire me are the women I know. My Mum who brought up two kids on her own. My aunt who has travelled extensively and who still works all over the world. My Grandma who was a city councillor in her retirement and only stopped last year, at the age of 85, because her body rebelled. My friend who is completely winning in her fight against agoraphobia and for whom every trip out of the house is a victory. Every single one of my peers who works a couple of shitty jobs to simply survive in this cruel economic climate.

It's so easy to get caught in hero worship and a little bit of lifestyle envy. Sure, Caitlin Moran is great and Lauren Laverne seems to have a perfect life and Angelina Jolie is powerfully self-assured. But the women you should truly be inspired by are the ones with the quiet, everyday successes. The woman who lives on your street in a shitty bedsit because she's finally had the courage to leave her abusive husband. The girl you see at the gym who works two jobs to pay for her degree. Your best friend who has sat through every single breakup you've had without complaint but always with wine. These are the women who should be inspiring you. Because, to me, the quiet, everyday successes are the truly inspirational ones.

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"I'm Avon, I'm 27 and I live in glorious Edinburgh. I have a cat called Selina, too many books, black & white hair and a (probably unhealthy) obsession with post-it notes and the colour grey. I can normally be found tweeting a lot of nonsense at @avonwy".

 

The 50 Most Inspirational Quotes For Women Of All Time

It's been a while since I've run a themed series of posts on my blog and I'm liking the idea of spending some time focusing on who our personal "A Hell Of A Woman" is and why. I think it will be really interesting to read about the women that inspire us and I'd like it to feel like a celebration of womankind.

The only rules I have are as follows:

• You must write about a female role model
• Fictional characters are included
• You must explain why that person is your role model

I'm happy to accept serious and light-hearted posts; just write from your heart and in your own personal style.

If you're interested in getting involved then please get in touch in one of the following ways:

• Leave a comment
• Tweet me 
• Send me an email to ahellofawoman [at] gmail [dot] com

Let me take you back to a couple of weeks ago when I was reading the introduction to the fashion category of the Love All Blogs weekly showcase, which is written by my very dear online friend, Liz of Margot and Barbara fame.

As I don't buy any newspapers, watch the news and rarely buy any of the so-called gossip magazines, I'd completely missed that awards season had already started this year with the Golden Globes.

Okay, it's not headline news but the reason why it caught my attention is because none other than my favourite vampire slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar, was on the red carpet. Thank you Liz for bringing this to my attention!

Now I adore SMG. I used to snip pictures of her out of magazines and blu-tack them around my mirror. I even had full length posters - of SMG herself and of her alter ego Buffy - stuck to my bedroom wall. I won't tell you how old I was at the time!

Back then, and even now, I thought that SMG is one of the most beautiful women out there. She has a simple, classy style and to me, she is an incredibly positive role model; strong, driven, hard-working, independent, modest and secure in herself. Over the years I've regularly engaged in the "all the ways I'm similar to my hero" game. We're the same age. We both gave birth to our first child in 2009. And well, yeah, that's pretty much it!

Anyway, if you haven't seen, here's the outfit that Sarah Michelle Gellar wore to the 2012 Golden Globes:

Image Credit

I don't know about you but I like it! I think the blue is a very complimentary colour choice. It's dramatic and individual and SMG looks healthy, glowing and elegant.

This dress has certainly managed to divide opinion though; attracting, on one side, positive coments and on the other, relegation to the media's worst-dressed list. Which camp do you fall into?

So, what actually prompted me to write this post? Well, it was this news article courtesy of the Daily Mail Online. It really managed to wind me up with its patronising tone and its message that it's only okay for a woman to be "badly dressed" if their outfit was chosen by a two-year old.

Am I the only one that's heartily sick of "fashion" and the seemingly neverending list of what we should all be wearing and in which particular combinations? I mean, who is it that determines what is fashionable and what isn't? What actually qualifies them to do that? And why on earth do they assume we all want to look like couture clones of each other?

What frustrates me even more is the way in which the media, and others, are so quick to label and mock anyone who doesn't conform to "the fashion rules". How did we become so intolerant and judgmental?

I don't deny that I'm interested in celebrities but it just feels quite saddening that a lot of what we're told about them focuses on what they wear, the things they own, how much they weigh and who they're dating. What sort of message is this sending to the world?

Do we really want our young, impressionable children growing up believing that you're only worth something if you're attractive, thin and rich? And if you see someone that doesn't fit that criterion then it's fine, and expected, to criticise them? That's not the attitude I want my children to have.

What I'd like to see is a more responsible attitude being taken to "celebrity gossip" rather than what appears to be such glee in sniping and bitching at what are essentially very superficial qualities. Maybe I'm getting old but I'd much rather read a gossipy but ultimately positive and inspiring piece rather than something that's running someone down.

What do you think? Do you love or loathe celebrity gossip? Do you think people are influenced by what they read about celebrities? And how can we combat any negative messages our children may pick up about image and weight? I'm interested in your thoughts.

Phew, rant over!